Track 4: Beyonce "If I Were A Boy"
Song: If I Were A Boy
Artist: Beyonce
Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce
Released: 2008
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M
Artist: Beyonce
Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce
Released: 2008
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M
I don’t know how one could create a playlist for an empowered female character without including at least one song from Queen Bey. If you’re looking for a woman who says it how it is and makes no apologies for it, look no further. Having spent much of her adult life in the spotlight, Beyonce has had her fair share of relationship issues aired out to the public, and she’s used her music as a means for sharing her side of the story. Her song, “If I Were A Boy” addresses the double standards that often exist in a relationship.
Unfortunately, this double standard has existed long before Beyonce started singing about it. Jane and Elizabeth find themselves in a similar situation to Beyonce in chapters 23 and 24 when Mr. Bingley unexpectedly leaves for London. After he departs, Jane is informed by his sister, Miss Bingley, that he has no intentions to return, thus crushing any hopes Jane has of marrying him. Because of the social constructs of the time, Jane, who is very in love with Mr. Bingley, has to wait for him to decide that he wants to marry her. She can, at most, show a preference for him at social gatherings, however, any further advancement of their relationship must be done entirely by him. Jane's only power in the relationahip is to either accept or deny his proposal. Any further advancements would get her a bad reputation. So, when Jane discovers in chapter 24 that Mr. Bingley has no intention of returning from London for the rest of the winter, she’s heartbroken and helpless to do anything about it. Elizabeth becomes her main comfort and confident during this sorrowful period, and I imagine Elizabeth having some similar reflections to Beyonce’s about the unfairness of the situation.
In the song, Beyonce sings, “If I were a boy...I’d put myself first, And make the rules as I go, ‘Cause I’d know that she’d be faithful, Waitin’ for me to come home.” This seems remarkably similar to the situation that Jane finds herself in, being able only to wait for Mr. Bingley to come back and seek her out again if he wishes, regardless of what she wants. Austen writes, “Her (Elizabeth’s) heart was divided between concern for her sister, and resentment against all the others,” (91), thus showing Elizabeth’s concern over her sister’s feelings. Elizabeth later exclaims, “The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters,” (92). This statement from Elizabeth seems to echo Beyonce’s words when she says, “If I were a boy, I think I could understand, How it feels to love a girl, I swear I’d be a better man.” Both Elizabeth and Beyonce have been disappointed with the inconsiderate actions of those around them, particularly the men they have encounted. Both, I think, are trying to make sense of the world that they find themselves living in.
Unfortunately, this double standard has existed long before Beyonce started singing about it. Jane and Elizabeth find themselves in a similar situation to Beyonce in chapters 23 and 24 when Mr. Bingley unexpectedly leaves for London. After he departs, Jane is informed by his sister, Miss Bingley, that he has no intentions to return, thus crushing any hopes Jane has of marrying him. Because of the social constructs of the time, Jane, who is very in love with Mr. Bingley, has to wait for him to decide that he wants to marry her. She can, at most, show a preference for him at social gatherings, however, any further advancement of their relationship must be done entirely by him. Jane's only power in the relationahip is to either accept or deny his proposal. Any further advancements would get her a bad reputation. So, when Jane discovers in chapter 24 that Mr. Bingley has no intention of returning from London for the rest of the winter, she’s heartbroken and helpless to do anything about it. Elizabeth becomes her main comfort and confident during this sorrowful period, and I imagine Elizabeth having some similar reflections to Beyonce’s about the unfairness of the situation.
In the song, Beyonce sings, “If I were a boy...I’d put myself first, And make the rules as I go, ‘Cause I’d know that she’d be faithful, Waitin’ for me to come home.” This seems remarkably similar to the situation that Jane finds herself in, being able only to wait for Mr. Bingley to come back and seek her out again if he wishes, regardless of what she wants. Austen writes, “Her (Elizabeth’s) heart was divided between concern for her sister, and resentment against all the others,” (91), thus showing Elizabeth’s concern over her sister’s feelings. Elizabeth later exclaims, “The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters,” (92). This statement from Elizabeth seems to echo Beyonce’s words when she says, “If I were a boy, I think I could understand, How it feels to love a girl, I swear I’d be a better man.” Both Elizabeth and Beyonce have been disappointed with the inconsiderate actions of those around them, particularly the men they have encounted. Both, I think, are trying to make sense of the world that they find themselves living in.